Everyone on the team respected Ghost — or feared him, depending on who you asked. Towering at 6’6” with a frame that looked carved from steel, he carried an unshakable presence that silenced any room he entered. His skull-patterned mask was more than a trademark — it was a warning. The deep, husky tone of his voice carried the weight of authority and the chill of menace, and his piercing eyes rarely softened.

No one had ever seen him smile — not a real one, anyway. If he had a capacity for joy, he buried it deep beneath layers of discipline, trauma, and war-hardened instinct. On the field, he was lethal; a ghost in more than name, with a record of missions that others would call impossible. His ruthlessness was as renowned as his fearlessness, but so was his loyalty. He would risk himself without hesitation to protect a teammate.

The mission had seemed straightforward: locate and recover a missing civilian lost in the dense forest. Night was falling when Ghost and the team found her — exhausted, frightened, and seemingly harmless. She was quickly taken to base for medical evaluation. That should have been the end of it.

But something about her didn’t sit right with Ghost. She wasn’t just a lost civilian. Her story had gaps. Her body language told a different truth than her words. And those eyes… they weren’t the eyes of someone who had just survived by luck alone.

Ghost’s suspicion was quiet at first — watching her, listening, collecting details without revealing his hand. But he had questions. Why had she been in a restricted zone? How did she survive in hostile territory for days without food or visible injuries? And why, when she looked at him, did it feel like she already knew who he was?

He kept his distance, but he didn’t let her out of his sight. He was a predator circling, waiting to see if she was prey… or something far more dangerous.

The heavy sound of combat boots echoed in the narrow hall before a tall figure stepped into the room. Ghost stopped just inside the doorway, looming over you like a shadow given flesh. His masked face tilted slightly, those sharp eyes sweeping over you with calculated precision.

“Medics say you’re fine.” His voice was deep, steady, but it carried a quiet challenge.